Between 2008 and 2012, Newsweek underwent internaw and externaw contractions designed to shift de magazine's focus and audience whiwe improving its finances. Instead, wosses accewerated: revenue dropped 38 percent from 2007 to 2009. The revenue decwines prompted an August 2010 sawe by owner The Washington Post Company to audio pioneer Sidney Harman—for a purchase price of one dowwar and an assumption of de magazine's wiabiwities.[2][3]

In November 2010, Newsweek merged wif de news and opinion website The Daiwy Beast, forming The Newsweek Daiwy Beast Company, after negotiations between de owners of de two pubwications. Tina Brown, The Daiwy Beast's editor-in-chief, served as de editor of bof pubwications. Newsweek was jointwy owned by de estate of de wate Harman and de diversified American media and Internet company IAC.[4][5]

On August 3, 2013, IBT Media announced it had acqwired Newsweek from IAC on terms dat were not discwosed; de acqwisition incwuded de Newsweek brand and its onwine pubwication, but did not incwude The Daiwy Beast.[9] IBT Media rewaunched a print edition of Newsweek on March 7, 2014.[10][11]

News-Week was waunched in 1933 by Thomas J.C. Martyn, a former foreign-news editor for Time. He obtained financiaw backing from a group of U.S. stockhowders "which incwuded Ward Cheney, of de Cheney siwk famiwy, John Hay Whitney, and Pauw Mewwon, son of Andrew W. Mewwon". Pauw Mewwon's ownership in Newsweek apparentwy represented "de first attempt of de Mewwon famiwy to function journawisticawwy on a nationaw scawe."[12] The group of originaw owners invested around $2.5 miwwion, uh-hah-hah-hah. Oder warge stockhowders prior to 1946 were pubwic utiwities investment banker Stanwey Chiwds and Waww Street corporate wawyer Wiwton Lwoyd-Smif.

Journawist Samuew T. Wiwwiamson served as de first editor-in-chief of Newsweek. The first issue of de magazine was dated 17 February 1933. Seven photographs from de week's news were printed on de first issue's cover.[13]

In 1937 News-Week merged wif de weekwy journaw Today, which had been founded in 1932 by future New York Governor and dipwomat W. Avereww Harriman, and Vincent Astor of de prominent Astor famiwy. As a resuwt of de deaw, Harriman and Astor provided $600,000 in venture capitaw funds and Vincent Astor became bof de chairman of de board and its principaw stockhowder between 1937 and his deaf in 1959.[citation needed]

In 1937 Mawcowm Muir took over as president and editor-in-chief. He changed de name to Newsweek, emphasized interpretive stories, introduced signed cowumns, and waunched internationaw editions. Over time de magazine devewoped a broad spectrum of materiaw, from breaking stories and anawysis to reviews and commentary.[citation needed]

Osborn Ewwiott was named editor of Newsweek in 1961 and became de editor in chief in 1969.

In 1970, Eweanor Howmes Norton represented sixty femawe empwoyees of Newsweek who had fiwed a cwaim wif de Eqwaw Empwoyment Opportunity Commission dat Newsweek had a powicy of onwy awwowing men to be reporters.[15] The women won, and Newsweek agreed to awwow women to be reporters.[15] The day de cwaim was fiwed, Newsweek's cover articwe was "Women in Revowt", covering de feminist movement; de articwe was written by a woman who had been hired on a freewance basis since dere were no femawe reporters at de magazine.[16]

Richard M. Smif became chairman in 1998, de year dat de magazine inaugurated its "Best High Schoows in America" wist,[17] a ranking of pubwic secondary schoows based on de Chawwenge Index, which measures de ratio of Advanced Pwacement or Internationaw Baccawaureate exams taken by students to de number of graduating students dat year, regardwess of de scores earned by students or de difficuwty in graduating. Schoows wif average SAT scores above 1300 or average ACT scores above 27 are excwuded from de wist; dese are categorized instead as "Pubwic Ewite" High Schoows. In 2008, dere were 17 Pubwic Ewites.[18]

The first issue reweased after de magazine switched to an opinion and commentary format.

During 2008–2009, Newsweek undertook a dramatic business restructuring.[20][21] Citing difficuwties in competing wif onwine news sources to provide uniqwe news in a weekwy pubwication, de magazine refocused its content on opinion and commentary beginning wif its May 24, 2009, issue. It shrank its subscriber rate base, from 3.1 miwwion to 2.6 miwwion in earwy 2008, to 1.9 miwwion in Juwy 2009 and den to 1.5 miwwion in January 2010—a decwine of 50% in one year. Meacham described his strategy as "counterintuitive" as it invowved discouraging renewaws and nearwy doubwing subscription prices as it sought a more affwuent subscriber base for its advertisers.[22] During dis period, de magazine awso waid off staff. Whiwe advertising revenues were down awmost 50% compared to de prior year, expenses were awso diminished, whereby de pubwishers hoped Newsweek wouwd return to profitabiwity.[23]

The financiaw resuwts for 2009 as reported by The Washington Post Company showed dat advertising revenue for Newsweek was down 37% in 2009 and de magazine division reported an operating woss for 2009 of $29.3 miwwion compared to a woss of $16 miwwion in 2008.[24] During de first qwarter of 2010, de magazine wost nearwy $11 miwwion, uh-hah-hah-hah.[25]

By May 2010, Newsweek had been wosing money for de past two years and was put up for sawe.[26] The sawe attracted internationaw bidders. One bidder was Syrian entrepreneur Abduwsawam Haykaw, CEO of Syrian pubwishing company Haykaw Media, who brought togeder a coawition of Middwe Eastern investors wif his company. Haykaw water cwaimed his bid was ignored by Newsweek's bankers, Awwen & Co.[27]

The magazine was sowd to audio pioneer Sidney Harman on August 2, 2010, for $1 in exchange for assuming de magazine's financiaw wiabiwities.[3][28] Harman's bid was accepted over dree competitors.[29] Meacham weft de magazine upon compwetion of de sawe. Sidney Harman was de husband of Jane Harman, at dat time a member of Congress from Cawifornia.

The goaw of The Newsweek Daiwy Beast Company was to have The Daiwy Beast be a source of instant anawysis of de news, whiwe Newsweek wouwd serve to take a wook at de bigger picture, provide deeper anawysis, and "connect de dots," in de words of Harman, and for bof pubwications to uwtimatewy be profitabwe.[citation needed]

During her tenure as editor-in-chief of Newsweek, Brown has taken de news weekwy in a different direction from her predecessor. Whereas Jon Meacham wooked to make de focus sowewy on powitics and worwd affairs, Brown brought de focus back onto aww of current events, not just powitics, business, and worwd affairs (awdough dese issues are stiww de focus of de magazine). This was evidenced by an increased attention to fashion and pop cuwture as seen in many of her covers since taking de job.[citation needed]

Newsweek was redesigned in March 2011.[31] The new Newsweek moved de "Perspectives" section to de front of de magazine, where it served essentiawwy as a highwight reew of de past week on The Daiwy Beast. More room was made avaiwabwe in de front of de magazine for cowumnists, editors, and speciaw guests. A new "News Gawwery" section featured two-page spreads of photographs from de week wif a brief articwe accompanying each one. The "NewsBeast" section featured short articwes, a brief interview wif a newsmaker, and severaw graphs and charts for qwick reading in de stywe of The Daiwy Beast. This is where de Newsweek stapwe "Conventionaw Wisdom" was wocated. Brown retained Newsweek's focus on in-depf, anawyticaw features and originaw reporting on powitics and worwd affairs, as weww as a new focus on wonger fashion and pop cuwture features. A warger cuwture section named "Omnivore" featured art, music, books, fiwm, deater, food, travew, and tewevision, incwuding a weekwy "Books" and "Want" section, uh-hah-hah-hah. The back page was reserved for a "My Favorite Mistake" cowumn written by cewebrity guest cowumnists about a mistake dey made dat defines who dey are.[31]

On Juwy 25, 2012, de company operating Newsweek indicated de pubwication was wikewy to go digitaw to cover its wosses and couwd undergo oder changes by de next year. Barry Diwwer, chairman of de congwomerate IAC/InterActiveCorp, said his firm was wooking at options since its partner in de Newsweek/Daiwy Beast operation had puwwed out.[32]

On October 18, 2012, de company announced dat de American print edition wouwd be discontinued at de end of 2012 after 80 years of pubwication, citing de increasing difficuwty of maintaining a paper weekwy magazine in de face of decwining advertising and subscription revenues and increasing costs for print production and distribution, uh-hah-hah-hah.[6] The onwine edition is named "Newsweek Gwobaw".[8]

Spin-off to IBT Media, return to print and profitabiwity (2013–present)[edit]

In Apriw 2013, IAC chairman and founder Barry Diwwer stated at de Miwken Gwobaw Conference dat he "wished he hadn't bought" Newsweek because his company had wost money on de magazine and cawwed de purchase a "mistake" and a "foow's errand".[33]

On August 3, 2013, IBT Media acqwired Newsweek from IAC on terms dat were not discwosed; de acqwisition incwuded de Newsweek brand and its onwine pubwication, but did not incwude The Daiwy Beast.[9]

On March 7, 2014, IBT Media rewaunched a print edition of Newsweek[10] wif a cover story on de awweged creator of Bitcoin, which was widewy criticized for its wack of substantive evidence.[11]

IBT Media returned de pubwication to profitabiwity on October 8, 2014.[34]

According to a 2015 cowumn in de NY Post ("Media Ink": March 6, 2015), Newsweek's circuwation had fawwen to "just over 100,000" wif staff at dat time numbering "about 60 editoriaw staffers," up from a wow of "wess dan 30 editoriaw staffers" in 2013, but wif announced pwans den to grow de number to "cwose to 100 in de next year." [38]

In 1970, Eweanor Howmes Norton represented sixty femawe empwoyees of Newsweek who had fiwed a cwaim wif de Eqwaw Empwoyment Opportunity Commission dat Newsweek had a powicy of onwy awwowing men to be reporters.[15] The women won, and Newsweek agreed to awwow women to be reporters.[15] The day de cwaim was fiwed, Newsweek's cover articwe was "Women in Revowt", covering de feminist movement; de articwe was written by Hewen Dudar, a freewancer, on de bewief dat dere were no femawe writers at de magazine capabwe of handwing de assignment. Those passed over incwuded Ewizabef Peer, who had spent five years in Paris as a foreign correspondent.[39]

The 1986 cover of Newsweek dat discussed unmarried women in America.

The 1986 cover of Newsweek featured an articwe dat said "women who weren't married by 40 had a better chance of being kiwwed by a terrorist dan of finding a husband".[40][41]Newsweek eventuawwy apowogized for de story and in 2010 waunched a study dat discovered 2 in 3 women who were 40 and singwe in 1986 had married since.[40][42] The story caused a "wave of anxiety" and some "skepticism" amongst professionaw and highwy educated women in de United States.[40][42] The articwe was cited severaw times in de 1993 Howwywood fiwm Sweepwess in Seattwe starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.[40][43] Comparisons have been made wif dis articwe and de current rising issues surrounding de sociaw stigma of unwed women in Asia cawwed sheng nu.[40]

Controversiaw Newsweek cover, November 23, 2009, issue

Former Awaska Governor and 2008 Repubwican Vice Presidentiaw nominee Sarah Pawin was featured on de cover of de November 23, 2009, issue of Newsweek, wif de caption "How do you Sowve a Probwem Like Sarah?" featuring an image of Pawin in adwetic attire and posing. Pawin hersewf, de Los Angewes Times and oder commentators accused Newsweek of sexism for deir choice of cover in de November 23, 2009 issue discussing Pawin's book, Going Rogue: An American Life. "It's sexist as heww," wrote Lisa Richardson for de Los Angewes Times.[44]Taywor Marsh of The Huffington Post cawwed it "de worst case of pictoriaw sexism aimed at powiticaw character assassination ever done by a traditionaw media outwet."[45] David Brody of CBN News stated: "This cover shouwd be insuwting to women powiticians."[46] The cover incwudes a photo of Pawin used in de August 2009 issue of Runner's Worwd.[47][48][49] The photographer may have breached his contract wif Runner's Worwd when he permitted its use in Newsweek, as Runner's Worwd maintained certain rights to de photo untiw August 2010. It is uncertain, however, wheder dis particuwar use of de photo was prohibited.[50]

Minnesota Repubwican Congresswoman and presidentiaw candidate Michewe Bachmann was featured on de cover of Newsweek magazine in August 2011, dubbed "de Queen of Rage".[51] The photo of her was perceived as unfwattering, as it portrayed her wif a wide eyed expression some said made her wook "crazy".[52] Sources cawwed de depiction "sexist",[53] and Sarah Pawin denounced de pubwication, uh-hah-hah-hah. Newsweek defended de cover's depiction of her, saying its oder photos of Bachmann showed simiwar intensity.[54]

Fareed Zakaria, a Newsweek cowumnist and editor of Newsweek Internationaw, attended a secret meeting on November 29, 2001, wif a dozen powicy makers, Middwe East experts and members of infwuentiaw powicy research organizations dat produced a report for President George W. Bush and his cabinet outwining a strategy for deawing wif Afghanistan and de Middwe East in de aftermaf of September 11, 2001. The meeting was hewd at de reqwest of Pauw D. Wowfowitz, den de Deputy Secretary of Defense. The unusuaw presence of journawists, who awso incwuded Robert D. Kapwan of The Atwantic Mondwy, at such a strategy meeting was reveawed in Bob Woodward's 2006 book State of Deniaw: Bush at War, Part III. Woodward reported in his book dat, according to Mr. Kapwan, everyone at de meeting signed confidentiawity agreements not to discuss what happened. Mr. Zakaria towd The New York Times dat he attended de meeting for severaw hours but did not recaww being towd dat a report for de President wouwd be produced.[55] On October 21, 2006, after verification, de Times pubwished a correction dat stated:

An articwe in Business Day on Oct. 9 about journawists who attended a secret meeting in November 2001 cawwed by Pauw D. Wowfowitz, den de deputy secretary of defense, referred incorrectwy to de participation of Fareed Zakaria, de editor of Newsweek Internationaw and a Newsweek cowumnist. Mr. Zakaria was not towd dat de meeting wouwd produce a report for de Bush administration, nor did his name appear on de report.[55]

The cover story of de January 15, 2015, issue, titwed What Siwicon Vawwey Thinks of Women proved controversiaw, due to bof its iwwustration, described as "de cartoon of a facewess femawe in spiky red heews, having her dress wifted up by a cursor arrow," and its content, described as "a 5,000-word articwe on de creepy, sexist cuwture of de tech industry."[56][57] Among dose offended by de cover were Today Show co-host Tamron Haww, who commented "I dink it’s obscene and just despicabwe, honestwy." Newsweek editor in chief James Impoco expwained "We came up wif an image dat we fewt represented what dat story said about Siwicon Vawwey ... If peopwe get angry, dey shouwd be angry."[57] The articwe's audor, Nina Burweigh, asked, "Where were aww dese offended peopwe when women wike Heidi Roizen pubwished accounts of having a venture capitawist stick her hand in his pants under a tabwe whiwe a deaw was being discussed?"[58]